You Can Still Be Free
by Casey Crystal
Summary: Not all of us had a normal childhood.......


YOU CAN STILL BE FREE  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them and neither do you, but I'm sure Lila will find a way to sneak them past Squaresoft's guards.  
  
  
Summary: Just a fic that looks into the earlier years of a few of the charactors. I'm not sure how old they all are in the game (and for this fic I admit that I don't care), but in my fic they're about the same age. There, I acknowledge that OOC type part, now leave me alone!  
  
  
  
  
~-*_*-~  
  
A tiny hand curled around the corner timidly as soft blue eyes followed slowly, peering into the room, blonde hair fallen about his head. The room was filled with a bright light, and the lab full of vials and beakers of curious containers, but the boy didn't move. His eyes scanned the area.  
  
Prof. Hojo had his back turned to the boy, attending to something on the table. A soft 'ow' could be heard at the older man's head lowered and he walked off a distance, giving the blonde child a view of another young boy. This one had a silvery colored hair and piercing green eyes, and he was holding his arm in what looked like pain but Sephiroth's expression remained still.  
  
Sephiroth, aware of the other child's presence, did nothing to show it, as Prof Hojo returned with yet another shot ready. His young green eyes returned to the man with greasy black hair with such an innocent hate. He hated this man, he's hated him as long as he could remember, being injected everyday with some strange colorful liquids.  
  
"Does that hurt?" sneered Hojo, but the boy didn't reply. He never spoke a word to this man, and he never will. The other child's eyes widened. Mr. Hojo had never behaved like this in the hallways. But now Hojo left to preform some experiment on some other poor specimen, and Sephiroth's eyes met with curious blue ones. He jumped off the disection table, and cringed when he had not landed silently. But to his relief Hojo had not come screaming, as he hadn't heard it.  
  
His young, but still commanding green eyes met with the other boy's once again, and the boy gasped and dissapeared behind the corner again. Sephiroth smiled at the fact he had scared him off, but inside felt dissapointed. He had never seen any other children before except for the drawm image in Hojo's office which labelled a lot of the insides. He shivered at the memory of it. He'd often felt that Hojo was going to cut him up to see if all the parts matched.  
  
The blue-eyed boy returned to peeping at Sephiroth, his eyes all too curious. "You scared'a me?" asked Sephiroth.  
  
Rufus, having been told repeatedly by his father that fear is a weakness, shook his head and came around the corner. He was dressed in a small blue uniform, wearing the colors of the Turks, as this is how his father had him trained. Sehiroth was dressed in a small warrior uniform, which he must get used to for battle. "I'm not afraid of you." he replied. "What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Sephiroth. I'm gonna grow up to take over the world, as Prof. Hojo tells me."  
  
"You look awfully tiny to be taking over such a big planet. I ought to know. I've been all over it many times. I'm Rufus, and my father is the boss of this place." The young blonde looked around the room. "This is the lab? What kind of things go on in here?"  
  
"Jus' stuff." Sephiroth shrugged. "Hojo just experiments on things all day long and on me too."  
  
Rufus looked up from tugging uncomfortably at his uniform. He hated it. "Why?"  
  
"I dunno. Probably 'cause he doesn't like me, or something."  
  
"That doesn't make sense. C'mon, let's explore."  
  
Sephiroth eyed Rufus suspiciously, but agreed. After all, he's been coming to the lab ever since he was real little, actually maybe all his life. Time was playing games with him. He'd have to ask Ms. Lucrecia since he had never explored. Rufus walked past him, his chubby childish cheeks alive with the excitment of exploration. "So why'd you come down here?"  
  
"'Cause I heard that there was some girl in here." said Rufus. Sephiroth's face changed to a thoughful one.  
  
"I haven't seen no girl in here. There's Doctor Lucrecia but she ain't no girl, she's a lady."  
  
"No, I heard my Daddy talkin' 'bout her. She's in here." Sephiroth shrugged and gave up arguing.  
  
"What's a 'Daddy?'" he asked.  
  
Rufus looked back at him briefly. "A daddy is the guy who owns you. I don't like my daddy."  
  
"I guess that means Hojo is my daddy. Can I get a new one if I don't like him?"  
  
"Nope. That's what my daddy told me. Hey, is that her?" His tiny finger extended as he pointed to a cage just off to the left. There they could see a little girl asleep on the floor of the cage, her brown hair covering her face.  
  
"I guess so. C'mon." said Sephiroth. The two little boys ran over to get a closer look. She looked about their age, and she was sleeping in the corner curled up like a baby, and her cheeks were slightly pale from the cold, as her dress was barely much of a dress to keep her warm. "Hey. What's your name?"  
  
Her eyelids fluttered open in fear and the young girl found herself looking into brilliant green eyes. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Sephiroth," introduced Sephiroth "And this here is Rufus. Why are you in a cage?"  
  
She sat up and smiled. "My name is Aeris. I don't know why I'm here."  
  
"That's not much of an excuse." said Rufus. "Did you make your daddy mad at ya or something?"  
  
"I don't have a daddy?"  
  
"But everyone's got a daddy."  
  
"Not me."  
  
His expression changed to a thoughtful one. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know. My Mother never told me why he died."  
  
Sephiroth nodded. "Do you wanna come out here and play? I know where Mr. Hojo keeps his extra keycards. They open every door in here."  
  
"Well I've my very own keycard," said Rufus. "My Daddy gave it to me." He pulled the impressive shiny card with Rufus' childish ID picture on the top of it.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," said Sephiroth as he yanked the card from Rufus' grasp and used it to unlock Aeris' cell. The door opened freely and Aeris timidly walked out. "Where's your mother?"  
  
"I think she's been put in a mako pod again, that's what that man tells us it is. It hurts to go in there. I hear crying."  
  
"Why is that?" asked Rufus.  
  
"I don't know. I always hear people talking and singing happily even when I'm alone. But sometimes I hear the pretty voice crying. Mother tells me it's the Planet."  
  
"Planets can't talk, ya know," said Sephiroth.   
  
"Yes they can."  
  
"I think she's one of those crazy people," Rufus whispered to Sephiroth. The green eyed boy nodded. "Do you wanna go look for your mother?"  
  
Aeris' eyes lit up. "Can I go see her again?"  
  
"Sure. After all, I am the President's son, I can do whatever I wan-"  
  
"You talk too much," Sephiroth noted as he and Aeris had already begun to walk off. Rufus caught up. "So you can talk to the Planet, huh?"  
  
Aeris nodded. "Yup. I hear people talking about the Planet being hurt."  
  
"And how is that?" asked Rufus.  
  
"They talk 'bout sad things happening, like how this place steals energy. I don't quite get it all, but the Planet is dying."  
  
"Hey, you're the Big guy's kid," said Sephiroth "Why don't you just take over and stop everything?"  
  
"My Daddy's gotta die first, and he ain't planning on leaving jus' yet."  
  
Sephiroth grinned a boyish smile. "Well, I am going to be a great warrior. How about when we get older I stop him for ya? We could rule the world together!"  
  
"Yeah," smiled Rufus "And Aeris can help too."  
  
"Aeris!?!" asked Sephiroth with doubt.  
  
"Yeah, she's pretty cool, for a girl. Daddy says girls aren't worth nothin' but I don't think that's right."  
  
"Thanks, Rufus!" said Aeris, her green eyes twinkling. That's where they made a promise, a promise to carry out the deed and help the Planet. A childish pact, but one that meant something to each of them.  
  
They stopped walking as they came up to another room. Many quick little beeping noises could be heard and Aeris shivered. "This is where those things are." She slowly walked up to the enterence and peered in. There she could see a mako-pod on the end containing her mother.  
  
The woman's face was scarred and the bleeding dry on her face, but her expression remained unmarred. She had always refused to give in to Hojo and would never let him see just how scared she was. Aeris was about to run in there when something was holding her back. She turned to see both Rufus and Sephiroth holding an arm.  
  
"Let me go." said Aeris. It wasn't a command nor a plea.  
  
"Prof. Hojo is in there, Aeris." said Sephiroth. He was a bit taller than her, but it still took a lot of energy to hold her back. "If he sees that you got out he'll be mad as heck."  
  
"So? He's hurting my Mommy!"  
  
Though the boys succedded in holding back the young girl, they had failed in keeping quiet. All three of them stopped fighting and looked up into the face of Hojo, his sneer just enough to scare them into forgetting run. "You stupid children. You'll all pay severely for this."  
  
~-*_*-~  
  
The last thing that Rufus remembered from that was Hojo calling security and getting dragged off and beated by his father. He had been forbidden contact with his friends, but he had heard quite a bit about them though. Sephiroth had been tested on more, and had finally become a strong figure in Shinra. Aeris and her mother had escaped a week after they had met, and that was the last he'd heard of her.  
  
He sat in his father's office, fingers absently drumming out a rythym on the desk where he was currently leaning against. He was looking out the window, watching the ocean. He no longer wore the Turk's uniform, but a large white trenchcoat. His mind lingered back to that day. They had only met for about 20 minutes, but it felt as if they had formed a bond, a connection that would always remain. He had never felt like he could relate to anyone else. All three of them were victims of ShinRa, and none of them were in control of their lives. He hoped that they had remembered that day. Sephiroth may have, as it was him who had killed President Shinra like he promised, but rumors are flying about him, claims of insanity have been made. Whether he remembered the promise was questionable.  
  
He sighed, knowing he could never heal the wounds his father had created. The man had broken his only son's spirit, and Rufus didn't feel anxious to start right away. His father had succedded in destroying his hope, and now he didn't care about 'stoping the Planet's cries' as Aeris had put it. It felt like the only thing he cared about was his childhood which was stolen from him. His fingers absently tapped out a beat. Another promise broken.   
  
He looked up in time to see WEAPON approaching throught the windows and rose from his seat. As the firey blast approached, his last thoughts lingered to that lone day and he raised his arms over his face protectively.  
  
It was too late. He could've changed everything and gain freedom, but he didn't. And this was his reward.  
  
~-*_*-~  
  
  
  
YOU CAN STILL BE FREE  
  
  
Cool breeze and autumn leaves  
Slow motion daylight  
A lone pair of watchful eyes  
Oversee the living  
Feel the presence all around  
A tortured soul  
A wound unhealing  
No regrets or promises  
The past is gone  
But you can still be free  
If time will set you free  
  
Time now to spread your wings  
To take to flight  
The life endeavor  
Aim for the burning sun  
You're trapped inside  
But you can still be free  
If time will set you free  
But it's a long long way to go  
  
Keep moving way up high  
You see the light  
It shines forever  
Sail through the crimson skies  
The purest light  
The light that sets you free  
If time will set you free  
  
Sail through the wind and rain tonight  
You're free to fly tonight  
And you can still be free  
If time will set you free  
And going higher than mountain tops  
And go high the wind won't stop  
And go high  
Free to fly tonight  
Free to fly tonight  
  
  
~-*_*-~  
  
  
  
  
*sigh* Someone please tell me that this isn't just a waste of time to read. I had written a wonderful copy, all errors fixed, wonderful ending, and the evil computer FROZE!! So I rewrote it and it's obviously not as great. The original ending actually MATCHED the song, which is by Savage Garden by the way. But please review. I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanx!  
  
  
Casey 


End file.
